


Cruel Kings Court

by AllianceXCross



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:14:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29934645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllianceXCross/pseuds/AllianceXCross
Summary: The dazzling and beautiful world of Haikyuu is everything he has ever dreamed of and yet he cannot outlive the fate that had been decided for him within the ranks. Hinata wants to be like them - the athletes, and Tobio Kageyama, the Crown Prince of House Kurosano, intends to keep Hinata as far away from the court as possible.When House Kurosano hosts an epic battle for High King the stakes are great but the rewards are even greater - that's if Hinata can leap high enough and reach the summit he desperately wants to climb.AU, canon couples, *MATURE CONTENT*
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Bokuto Koutarou/Hinata Shouyou, Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio & Tsukishima Kei & Yachi Hitoka & Yamaguchi Tadashi, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou/Oikawa Tooru, Kageyama Tobio/Oikawa Tooru, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Kudos: 2





	1. Characters

**Author's Note:**

> Hello friends! This is my first Haikyuu story and I'm so happy to dabble in this awesome series. I've decided to put a little spin on these characters and hopefully things aren't too complicated. I've never written a story with so many diverse characters and I'm so excited to take on that challenge and give you something unique and satisfying!
> 
> I just want to shoutout to my partner in crime and beta reader. She really worked hard to help me sort out my crazy thoughts and get this story going. 
> 
> Follow, fav and comment!

**Royal Court Houses:**  
High King of Haikyuu (House Kurasano): Ikkei Ukai (Setter) 

**House Kurasano**  
High Crown Prince - Tobio Kageyama (Setter)  
Ace Striker - Asahi Azumane  
Libero - Yū Nishinoya  
Blocker - Kei Tsukishima   
Striker(s) - Yūnosuke Tanaka, Daichi Sawamura

 **House Aoba Johsai**  
High Crown Prince - Tōru Oikawa (Setter)  
Ace Striker - Iwaizumi   
Libero - Shinji Watari  
Blocker - Issei Matsukawa, Yūtarō Kindaichi   
Strikers (s) - Takahiro Hanamaki, Kentarō Kyōtani 

**High Court Houses:**  
House Date Tech   
Setter Kanji Koganegawa  
Ace Striker - Kenji Futakuchi   
Libero - Kōsuke Sakunami  
Blocker -Takanobu Aone, Yasushi Kamasaki  
Striker(s) - Takehito Sasaya,

 **House Shiratorizawa**  
Setter - Kenjirō Shirabu  
Ace Striker - Ushijima Wakatoshi   
Libero - Kai Akakura, Hayato Yamagata   
Blocker - Satori Tendo, Taichi Kawanishi   
Striker(s) -Reon Ōhira, Tsutomu Goshiki

 **House Nekoma**  
Setter - Kozume Kenma  
Ace Striker - Taketora Yamamoto   
Libero -- Morisuke Yaku  
Blocker --Tetsuro Kuroo, Lev Haiba  
Striker(s) - Shōhei Fukunaga, Sō Inuoka

 **House Inarizaki**  
Setter - Atsumu Miya  
Ace Striker - Aran Ojiro  
Libero - Michinari Akagi  
Blocker - Rintaro Suna   
Striker(s) - Osamu Miya, Yūto Kosaku

 **House Fukurōdani**  
Setter -Keiji Akaashi   
Ace Striker -Kōtarō Bokuto   
Libero -Haruki Komi  
Blocker - Wataru Onaga,   
Strikers(s) - Akinori Konoha, Yamato Sarukui


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fan art to enjoy:  
> https://www.deviantart.com/mi-nt/art/King-once-again-673239623  
> https://www.deviantart.com/aokamei/art/Shadow-and-Sun-457674071

The continent of Haikyuu had become a land of snow and ice. 

Set deep in the mountains, the entire country weathered icy rain, cold nights and short days. Beyond the frigid, stinging wind stood the gargantuan vertical city of Kurosano. In the heart of the city spiraled the crowning achievement - the Palace. 

Towers and bridges littered across the city, the Palace of Kurasano was a spiraling construction of stone towers reaching towards the sky like crow’s claws. 

Perhaps in a sense they were - Kurasano was known as the Land of the Crow’s after all. 

The dark, almost black, accents of the stone were made of steel. There were long, endless chambers and triangular-roofed ballrooms; a crystalline doomed-shaped volleyball court that stretched across the vast majority of the Palace, and a city district that was scattered ambiguously around the large caste.

Hinata wrapped himself tightly in the white and amber servant jacket as he made his way through the chambers in the west wing of the palace. Around him, other palace pets bustled during their daily chores. Handlers barked orders at the pets, sometimes a low court Athlete would engage in the yelling too. 

Beyond the bustling sounds of Palace life there was another sound - one that Hinata grew to admire and love. 

Instinctively, he went towards the north wing. It was a long antechamber, a room carved in white marble and the floor was also marble. Through the chamber there was a stone ally exposed to the seasons that led directly to the volleyball courts.

Hinata hurriedly moved to a glass window and strained his head to get a peek into the stone and marble building. Inside, the House of Kurasano’s High Court Athletes were scrimmaging. 

He could hear the satisfying sounds of the ball slapping against skin as the Athletes hit it back and forth in the air. They were wearing the standard black and white practice outfits of the Kurasano colors. 

As much as Hinata loved the sound and sights of the players, that sound was a harsh reminder of Hinata’s position at court.

In the land of Haikyuu if someone did not have a position as an athlete then they are nothing. Volleyball was the only thing that matters and to be within the court meant they have not only a position but power - and power was everything here.

Setters are the only ones capable of position and power in the courts. They are the control center for the entire House, breaking the defense of enemy blockers and ensuring a formidable attack from their strikers. The strikers are agile, brutal and large athletes with vast amounts of power that a setter can utilize for maximum damage. 

Blockers and libero’s were important too and utilized for their defense and tactical roles.

Then, there were the ancient stories of decoy strikers. 

It is a known fact that Ace’s are fierce and powerful. Arguably, there is almost nothing more powerful than a striker besides the setter - but the decoy striker was said to be different. Exotic. Decoy strikers were twice as fast as an ace, could jump twice as high and were more lethal than any regular striker. As the story goes, a decoy striker could only have one setter and when they worked together - they could be unstoppable.

This pairing was so rare that in all of Hinata’s twenty-years he had never even heard of one existing. 

Haikyuu was a large continent and there had been no decoy striker in any of the Houses. 

It was a story that seemed to be as old as Haikyuu itself - hundreds of years and shrouded in equal amounts of mystery. It seemed more like a fairytale than a rumor.

Hinata still wanted to believe in it because anything was better than accepting reality. 

Soon, he started shaking with anticipation as he watched the athletes continue their practice. His marigold eyes were wide, watching as they ran, jumped and spiked. He was awestruck by the glamorous life the athletes got to live - even low class athletes got to engage in games.

His fingers began to fidget, he had the overwhelming urge to begin bouncing on the balls of his feet every time he watched the strikers jump and spike. He wanted to go in there, wanted so badly to feel the weight of that ball hit his hand. 

Hinata was a long distance from the play but suddenly he caught a rare glimpse of the Crown Prince Kageyama as he set up a striker, most likely his ace, for a perfect set. 

The Crown Prince’s toss looked effortless, as if his control of the ball lasted more than the mere seconds when it touched his hands. The prince radiated with excitement, his lean body still in the air as the striker slammed the toss down perfectly onto the other side of the court. 

Now, Hinata ached even more to be there - jumping for a perfect set like that and spiking it across the net.

“Oi,” a male voice said. “Hinata, what are you doing over here?”

Quickly, Hinata straightened at the voice and was relieved when he turned to his friend, Tadashi Yamaguchi. 

Yamaguchi was the same age as Hinata. He had straight brown hair with fringe bangs that covered his forehead and a distinct strand of hair that was always unruly and sticking straight up. He had brown eyes and sharp facial features that bordered on plain. 

“Uh...nothing, I just thought I would clean back here.” 

Yamaguchi looked from Hinata to behind him, eyes widening in surprise. “You’re watching the athletes! You know if we are caught we could be in big trouble when -”

“I know, I know!” Hinata said in order to avoid scolding. “But I couldn’t help it. Pets never get this close.” 

“Exactly, there’s a reason for that - pets don’t belong here.” Yamaguchi was always reminding him of their position. “Now lets go before someone catches us again.”

“I wonder why they are playing in the west wing.”

Yamaguchi yanked on his sleeve. “Who cares, we have to get out of here.”

Hinata hid his disappointment and allowed Yamaguchi to drag him away.

He spared a glance back, hearing the sound of play becoming muffled now by other noises in the background. Together, he and Yamaguchi made their way through the exotic palace to continue their chores in the west wing where the servants quarters were: today they were on laundry duty. 

_Pets._

They were not athletes, and they had no status, position or power. They were nothing, a type of servant who cleaned and took care of the palace. Even the name ‘pet’ sounded derogatory. 

Pets were considered the lowest of the classes and treated equally so. They came from families without money or status and once declared a pet they cannot stand against that anointed social status. It was nearly impossible to become anything else, even something like a low-class athlete, if someone were distinguished as a pet. 

Hinata was a pet because of his family name, no one of his bloodline had ever been an athlete. His father had died a pet and Hinata would probably die a pet too. That’s how it worked around here.

He remembered his first time coming to the palace. Hinata was all of seventeen when he heard the news of his father’s passing. At first, the prospect of coming to the palace was exciting because he had been playing volleyball in the city. He thought that once he came to the palace he could show his true skills and earn the status of athlete. 

That fantasy was quickly shattered when he was forced to wear the standard pet cuffs on each of his wrists. The cuffs were made of black iron and joined together with two bolts on the underside of the thick metal. The inside of the cuff had blunt triangles throughout that were casted into the iron that ensured pets could not play sports, specifically volleyball. 

Hinata rubbed his wrist as he remembered the first time he had tried to play, it was during his time off when he returned home and met with some friends. The cuffs interfered with normal wrist motions and every time the ball would hit the cuff, the blunt grooves had left a stinging sensation on the skin. After several repetitions, Hinata endured so much pain from the cuffs that he could no longer play because his wrists and forearms became stripped raw.

It bothered Hinata because he knew his talents were being wasted like this. He knew he belonged among the athletes - especially in the court. Hinata was short, lean and extremely agile. He was able to jump higher than any other pet his age - even older pets. He was faster than any of them too, sometimes beating other athletes in races.

However, three years ago he had been foolish to believe that coming to the palace in any capacity would be the way to the volleyball court. 

“They will be holding court tournaments soon,” Hinata tried to make casual conversation as he and Yamaguchi did their respective chores. They had been partners for a long time now, probably in hopes that Yamaguchi’s timid-ness would wear off on Hinata’s high energy. It never had though. 

“Yeah, I heard House Aoba Johsai will be attending,” said Yamaguchi and Hinata cannot hide his surprise, marigold eyes wide. He stopped mid-motion. 

“What did you say?” 

Yamaguchi seemed to get nervous at the sudden attention, a habit instilled in pets when they have done a great offence. “Uh...well… I just heard from one of the athletes that House Aoba Johsai will be here for the Coronation Court.”

Hinata had forgotten all about Coronation Court. It was still several months before the current High King of the Court, Keishin Ukai, was to crown a new King. The Coronation Court was not like a regular court tournament. It was a brutal competition that lasted three days long and only had one victor. 

That victor’s setter becomes the new High King. 

In this nation, there were several courts.

House of Kurasano was the court Hinata was in, their Crown Prince was Tobio Kageyama - the current setter. Kageyama was the absolute worst. In all the glances Hinata ever had of him, Kageyama was wearing his usual scowl, accessorized with dark eyelashes that framed his sharp, deep blue eyes and midnight hair. 

He was beautiful, talented and powerful - and Hinata hated him equally as much as he envied him because Kageyama would never know the struggle of being a pet, of not having status or power in this court.

The other Houses in the nation were Aoba Johsai, Date Tech, Shiratorizawa, Nekoma, Inarizaki and Fukurōdani.

However, Kurasano and Aoba Johsai were the only High Court Houses eligible for the High King position. Aoba Johsai’s setter and Crown Prince, Tōru Oikawa, was already rumored to be a formidable opponent and the current High Court favorite to win the Coronation Court. 

Hinata sighed, “So there will be even more to do around here.” 

“I guess so,” Yamaguchi said, finishing his chore of folding the laundry. He moved to the opposite side of the room, stacking his perfectly neat folds into a basket while Hinata had barely folded any of his pile - most of it was a crumpled mess that Yamaguchi would have to do again. 

“I hope I get a chance to see them all on one court. Wouldn’t that be amazing, Yamaguchi?” Hinata said, optimistically. “Maybe while I’m out there they’ll let me on the court and I can show them my jumping or my running! They’ll see I have potential too.”

Yamaguchi opened his mouth to speak when another person came into the room, Hinata turned his attention to Kōshi Sugawara. 

“I hope you two aren’t talking about spying on the athletes again.” Sugawara was older than Hinata and Yamaguchi by two years and had pale grey hair with equally stormy grey eyes. There was a distinct beauty mark under his left eye, and his facial features were soft, almost feminine. He was tall and nice to a fault - until Hinata pissed him off. 

Sugawara was an athlete himself but his low status meant he took care of the pets and rarely engaged in court activities, or that's what Hinata had thought. He was more of a handler than a member of the court however he was kind to the pets and always offered good advice to Yamaguchi and Hinata. Sometimes Hinata would catch the higher status self-centeredness from Sugawara but it was rare. 

“We’re talking about court,” Yamaguchi answered honestly and Hinata shot him a look. “What? No use in lying - besides, it was Suga that told me about House Aoba Johsai.”

Hinata’s attention now settled on the older Athlete. “So it’s really true? We are hosting the Crown Prince Oikawa?” 

Suga frowned, “Is that what you want, court gossip?”

It was a rhetorical question but Hinata’s eyes widened, “Yes!”

Suga sighed, helplessly. “Then yes, it’s true. Aoba Johsai will be here for the Coronation Court. Don’t give me that look, Hinata, you’ll be plenty busy with the amount of work you will have to do.”

Indeed, Hinata had begun to excite himself with the prospect of possibly showing his skills as an athlete. He knew he was an athlete, deep in his core he knew that he wasn’t a pet. 

Hinata clenched his fist, “If Oikawa comes and sees my potential as an athlete he might promote me in his court and -”

“Hinata!” Suga snapped, he covered the younger pet’s mouth with his hand - shushing him. “Don’t say that so loudly, do you have a death wish or something?”

Hinata pushed the offending hand away and Suga looked around nervously. “Why? We don’t have to stay in a court that doesn’t appreciate us. Kageyama is our Crown Prince but he’s never around.”

Yamaguchi spoke up, “I heard it’s because he’s not interested in the Coronation Court.”

Both Suga and Hinata looked at him, horrified. “What!”

“Come to think of it, have you ever seen him with the other athletes in regular court activities, not just House practice?” Questioned Yamaguchi. “Seems like he doesn’t want to be the High King.”

Suga said, “well it’s true our Crown Prince doesn’t attend most court activities but it’s not because he is disinterested in the Coronation Court.” 

“Really?” Hinata stared wide-eyed at this new information about their Crown Prince. “Kageyama and Oikawa are going head-to-head? This will be epic.”

Suga was the voice of reason, “Again let me remind you: you will not be attending the events. You won’t have enough time to -”

“Please, Suga!” Hinata begged, grabbing a hold of the older man's arm. “Please get me a position inside the royal court and I will prove that I am an athlete too! I just need one chance - one moment with the Crown Prince and he’ll see.”

Suga blushed, “Why do you think I have that kind of power? I’m a low-court athlete, I have no sway over the events that happen in royal court.”

Yamaguchi disagreed, “but you have contacts within court with the high-class athletes right? Like that Daichi guy - the striker.”

The blush deepened. “Do you know how much trouble we could be in if I asked Daichi to let a pet into court? He would tell the Crown Prince and then I would have my own position revoked.” 

“You already help us and we’re pets,” Hinata pointed out. “Why would it matter?” 

Now, Suga’s tone was filled with annoyance. It was enough for Hinata to realize that even Suga’s low-class status was worth more to him than being a pet. “You know very well that it matters - everything matters when you’re an athlete. One wrong move, one misstep, and you can be down-graded to a pet and never rise above that.”

A harsh stillness took over the silence that ensued the three of them now. 

Suga sighed loudly, regaining his usual calm composure. “I’m sorry. It’s just… There's someone I want to protect and I need my status, no matter how low it may currently be. I need to be there for them. I want to help you, Hinata, I do. I just can’t do that kind of favor for you.” 

Hinata understood that this was bigger than Sugawara but still...there had to be a way. There was always a way. 

Pets. 

It was worse than any curse. It was the worst fate that could be bestowed upon anyone. 

Sometimes Hinata wondered if it was worse than death itself. 

Sugawara left Yamaguchi and Hinata for the rest of the evening, up until they were called off their rotation by a handler. Then, Yamaguchi and Hinata made their way to their apartments located off Palace property and in the City district. There were plenty of servant corridors that ran underground so they didn’t have to use the main road in and out of the castle. It took almost an hour on foot, less so when the carriage was available but they had missed it by this time of night. Sometimes Hinata would run the distance however tonight he didn’t feel like running, nor did he want to leave Yamaguchi on his own. 

The entire time Hinata thought of ways he could outlive this fate that had been given to him. 

He didn’t want to be a pet, didn’t want to be powerless. 

Hinata wanted power. 

He wanted to taste it at least once - the feeling of being around athletes, and standing in the court. 

Hinata wanted to jump so high that he could see the other side of the overwhelming wall that blocked his path. 

^.^

Hinata was shaken awake by a head handler, Ittetsu Takeda, early the next morning. Groggily, his eyes came open and Takeda's young face and distinct black framed glasses centered his blurry view. He blinked a few times. 

“Good,” Takeda said. “You’re awake. I need to switch your rotation this morning. There’s been a change in the palace so I need more hands in the north wing.”

Hinata almost jumped out of his cot. “The north wing! You mean the volleyball court wing!”

“No, I mean the servants quarters in the north wing. Now get dressed, the carriage is leaving and you will be left behind,” warned Takeda. 

Hurriedly, and excitedly, Hinata dressed in his white and orange servants tunic and pants. He threw on his fur-lined winter coat and didn’t have to bother with much else as he was led to the carriage area by Takeda. 

The entire ride his mind was reeling with the possibility of this being his chance. Did Suga arrange this? Even though he was annoyed and blunt with Hinata last night Suga always came through and helped him. It was the reason he trusted him so much. 

Takeda was giving the three pets in the carriage their assignments for the day. 

“Ennoshita you will be stationed in the gymnasium today. There has been extended additional practice. Kinoshita will be assigned to partner with you, the two of you will rotate to the grounds later in the afternoon,” said Takeda. 

Hinata grew even more excited, “I can help in the gymnasium too!”

Everyone in the carriage chuckled, another pet said. “Not even in the north wing yet and this pup thinks he can work in the gym.” 

“Put in your time, little man.” mocked another. 

Hinata shot them a glare, a retort hot on his lips when Takeda interrupted and said. “Hinata, you will be in the equipment supply room. We have an important order coming and I want you to receive it to ensure the contents are managed properly.”

He frowned, Hinata wasn’t going to be anywhere near the volleyball courts. 

“Do you understand?” 

“Yes, sir.” Hinara said, sullenly. He had hoped this day would come that he would get the chance to be near the court and now that it was so close he felt it was slipping through his fingers. 

They arrived at the palace and Takeda’s team briskly walked through the long corridors. It was early still, the beautiful colors of the orange and pink dawn hadn’t even begun to touch the morning sky. It was dark outside and frigid cold. 

Hinata kept pace, committing every detail of the north palace to his memory. 

This was where the athletes were. More importantly, this was where the official volleyball courts were located. 

Despite his far off work station, he was still excited. He couldn’t wait to possibly explore the moment he could slip away. Being a pet meant they had access to the palace. Hinata often misused that access but he had never been this close to the royal courts. 

Takeda sent off Ennoshita and Kinoshita on their way to the main gymnasium. Hinata watched them retreat longingly before he was reeled away. They continued even more north than Hinata thought possible. 

Their footsteps resonated as they passed through looming alabaster walls of the palace, flags depicting Kurasano signature black and orange colors were strung along the walls like giant tapestries.

Soon, they passed by an alcove in the main chamber, it was covered in glass and inside housed prized trophies from all the past tournaments won. 

Hinata immediately darted towards it, fawning. “Kurasano’s prized trophy case!” 

He couldn’t help but press his face against the glass, adoring the gold accents and red silk swabbed shelves that the trophies sat on. It was almost everything he had dreamed of, being so close to such victories. He wanted to touch one of them, the solid gold pieces that other famous athletes had touched and held. 

He wanted to win one, wanted to bask in the glory of feeling the heavy weight of the gold ball-shaped statues. 

His arm stung, “what?” Hinata hissed at Takeda but the head handler was not the one who pinched him. 

“You look ridiculous,” Suga teased while gritting his teeth, smiling at Hinata. 

Hinata turned his attention back to the glimmering trophies, “ _They’re ridiculous_. Look at how many there are!”

“Be quiet and act normally,” Suga grabbed Hinata’s arm and directed him away from the glass case. Takeda was bowing low on the ground upon the entrance of Suga - Hinata had forgotten about the proper protocol intended for pets towards low or high court athletes. 

They were to bow with their foreheads on the ground and graciously accept the athletes presence. Hinata did none of those things and remained standing - it was a shock he hadn’t been hit in the gut and forced to bow. 

Takeda said in a strained voice, “My apologies, we’ll make sure the glass is spotless again. I had no idea of his behavior, please forgive this insult.”

This had never seemed to not shock Hinata. Takeda, though an older man, was groveling at the feet of Sugawara. It just continued to show that age did not gain any kind of respect in this court. 

Suga smiled back genuinely. “I should apologize. You’ve done excellent to bring me the pet as I requested and I know his behavior well enough that I should have warned you. No need, we will make sure it’s taken care of. I’ll escort him the rest of the way from here on out.”

Suga turned around and gripped the back of Hinata’s neck, it was not friendly. His breath was hot on his skin. “If you try to run anywhere else, you’ll do so without legs. Do you understand?”

“Such pleasant talks,” Hinata complained as they entered a new building. This one was a break from the main building, covered in a grey stone. The cobblestone beneath their feet was foundation enough that Hinata believed this was the oldest part of the palace. 

They passed under an archway that opened to lattice work doors that opened, guards were flanked on either side of the cobblestone path. Suga nodded to them and carried on with Hinata in tow, keeping a firm grip on him. Beyond the archway revealed tree lined passageways that led into a grand courtyard. They walked through it to the furthest wing and disappeared behind a second corridor before Hinata noticed a large set of double wooden doors. 

Etched into the doors was Kurasano’s very own sigil. Suga went towards the door, hitting it with the iron knocker. 

A woman from inside answered, “yes?”

“It’s Sugawara, I have your help for the day.” Answered Suga and now Hinata was even more curious as to what kind of place this was. 

The doors opened, revealing a charming and petite woman with sleek black hair and glasses that did not dull the effects of her dazzling blue-grey eyes. She wasn’t in a pet uniform so Hinata knew she was also a low court athlete. Hinata’s eyes were instantly drawn to her beauty mark just below her lower lip. 

“Thank you,” she smiled up at Suga politely. To Hinata, she said. “I’m Kiyoko Shimizu.”

“Hello.”

He felt dazed in Kiyoko’s simple-yet-natural beauty. Hinata had known from a young age that he was more attracted to men, however in the presence of a good-looking woman he couldn’t help but appreciate them. And Kiyoko was very beautiful. 

Suga announced today’s tasks as Hinata gazed at the attractive woman, “You’ll be helping Kiyoko manage the equipment supply storage. Since we are hosting the next few tournaments, and the Coronation Court, this area will need more attention by the pets.”

Hinata knew it - Suga had pulled this all together in a matter of a few hours. It was brilliant and deceptive, pets weren’t even allowed this far into the palace and yet here he was, standing so close to the official volleyball courts.

“I’ll return at the end of the day to bring this one back,” Suga told Kiyoko as if he were just a piece of baggage! 

Hinata decided now wouldn’t be the best time to scowl at Suga, seeing as he must have pulled whatever strings he could have in order to get Hinata this far. Instead, he turned to him, bowing deeply at the waist. A hard blush crept it’s way to his face, it was silly to feel so much gratitude for a single deed and Hinata wanted to cry. 

“Thank you for the gracious opportunity.” 

Suga nodded his head once, an appropriate gesture for someone of his rank to do towards Hinata. He smiled and waved at the pair before retreating back down the corridor. 

Kiyoko ushered him inside, closing the doors behind her. 

Inside was any athlete's dream. 

Rows and rows of shelves lined with sports equipment. There were other sports to be played but volleyball was the only one that mattered. 

Kiyoko led him through the large rows of units, weaving through them knowledgeably. Hinata would have been lost had he not been right behind her. 

“This is amazing,” he said in awe, staring up at how high the shelves went, and just how much stuff there was. “How do you know where to go in such a large place!”

Kiyoko chuckled, “oh you get used to it when you’re here everyday. I’m the Royal Court’s equipment manager.”

“Wow,” Hinata breathed. 

She took them to the middle of the rows, where the volleyball equipment was. 

“I’ll need you to clear the shelves. We are replacing all the equipment and will be receiving the order any time today. For now, it’ll be stored in that corridor you entered from so you’ll have to bring it from there to here.”

Kiyoko wasted no time in explaining the types of equipment there was, to where it was placed and how it was handled. She was a good instructor, diligently minding Hinata as she did her own sorting. 

A few hours later, Hinata had grown comfortable enough to ask, “So, uh, what other jobs do you get to do in the palace?” 

Kiyoko and Hinata had just taken out some equipment and were heading back for more. “I help the Royal team when they play matches, mostly grabbing water or picking up towels. I also help keep player statics.”

“You get to watch the games!” Hinata couldn’t suppress his excitement. “On the court they actually play on!”

She didn’t reprimand him like other athletes did, instead she blinked at him slightly confused. Her face settled back into a kind smile. “Well, uh… yes. I don’t think it’s really anything extraordinary.” 

“You’re wrong,” Hinata said, ignoring that this was not the tone to use with a high class athlete. “You get to be in the royal palace, watch official matches and be on the court with the royal team. I don’t get to do any of that even though I really want to.”

There was a silence that reminded Hinata of his sudden insolence. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to have that tone, but it’s just…. What is not extraordinary to one person may be the most extraordinary thing in the world to another. That’s how our classes have defined us.”

Kiyoko didn’t look at Hinata like other athletes did, she truly looked at him as if he were a person. Everyone deserved to be looked at like that. 

“I agree. There is nothing more frustrating in his court than to know those rules exist to divide us.” 

She was kind - Hinata liked her, and could grow used to calling her another one of his friends. They continued the day with mild chatting, mostly about the life of being court-side to the royal athletes. Hinata couldn’t hear enough of the stories Kiyoko would reminisce on. He wanted to be there so badly, to be seen the way the athletes were. 

Suddenly, there was someone at the door. Kiyoko glanced up and politely excused herself, “I have to take that.”

“Sure, I got this anyway.” Hinata smiled up at her and continued sorting through the equipment. Now, they were working on the netting. They had to unstring the current netting to be reused, and prepare the plastic tips for disposal. It was tedious and Hinata wondered if he would get in trouble if he snuck a piece of netting home with him. His family house was situated close to trees and Hinata pictured it a perfect spot to set up his own net for the next time he decided to visit his mom and sister. 

As he was working, Hinata didn’t notice the figure that rounded the corner. He only heard the deep voice. “Hey, Kiyoko where are the ankle weights?”

Someone rounded the corner and Hinata looked up from his sitting position. 

The stranger was wearing black training clothes with a simple white shirt similar the ones Hinata had briefly seen during royal practice. The mans’ chin had been arrogantly stuck upwards but there was something in his eyes - strikingly dark blue like the endless sea at night which contrasted his black raven-feathered hair that made Hinata pause. 

His beauty was like an arrow straight to the heart and Hinata could look nowhere else as the presence of who this was suddenly began to weigh heavily on him. 

This was no ordinary athlete. 

This was the Crown Prince, Kurasano’s current setter. 

Kageyama.


	3. The Deal

The Crown Prince stared down at Hinata in mild annoyance, sharp eyes narrowed further. “Who are you?”

His voice riled at something within Hinata, a clash of bitter emotions that he tried and failed to push downward. The expression that settled on the lovely face of the Crown Prince was arrogant and unpleasant. Hinata knew the expression, knew the type from other athletes he had pissed off: they were self-absorbed and self-confident, raised to overestimate their positions. 

_Bow to him!_

That was the inner instinct of what was instilled in a pet. Bow until their head touched the ground and remain that way until asked to stand. It was the proper way to greet any high born court member, especially when that high born court member was the Crown Prince. 

Hinata continued to stare up at him, allowing his initial dislike to come off him in waves. He had never personally met the Prince but the feeling of shame over his position made his stomach feel like lead. 

It surprised both of them when Hinata bowed. 

Their meeting lasted less than twenty seconds before Kiyoko came from around the corner. “Oh, Prince Kageyama, here’s those weights.”

Hinata dared a glance upwards. It was the wrong thing to do. Kageyama was staring at him. 

He was holding the weights he had requested, staring at where Hinata was kneeling. 

“Thanks.” 

There were no more passing words between the Prince, Kiyoko or Hinata. He simply took his leave and Kiyoko started to help with the rope again.

“Is he always so pleasant?” Hinata found himself asking.

Kiyoko didn’t pay much attention to her answer, “He’s the quiet type but you should watch out because he does have a temper.”

 _Ah_ , that made much more sense now. Hinata could see it in those sharp eyes, saw the control that could be yanked away at a moment's notice if someone was not careful.

Hinata worked well into the evening before Suga came to pick him up. 

Suga bowed at Kiyoko at the door, “I sure hope he wasn't any trouble.”

“He was a great help, see you two tomorrow.” She turned and shut the door behind her. Hinata wondered just how long she stayed behind those doors, amongst the equipment and being a diligent manager. 

Suga and Hinata walked quietly through the now busy corridors. There were athletes at court, meandering through the courtyard. Hinata paid them no attention, which promoted Sugwara to ask, “did something happen?”

Hinata thought about his answer, not wanting to tell Suga that he swiped some volleyball netting from the equipment room. It was a single long piece, and he was slowly going to acquire enough to make his own net at some point. Next, he was planning to get his hands on a volleyball. 

“Not really,” Hinata replied. “I met the Prince.”

Suga stopped, his face uncharacteristically surprised. “You what!”

Hinata turned back to him, “yeah. He wasn’t like anything I expected and it was only for a moment.”

Warily, Suga asked. “You didn’t say anything to him, did you?”

“Why would I?”

“Good,” Suga breathed, relived. “He has a mood, you see.”

“So I’m told.” Hinata looked down at the ground as he remembered the placid gaze. He imagined all the Prince saw was just a lowly pet grovelling at his feet. He subconsciously rubbed at his cuff, the skin around was irritated. It bothered him more than he thought it would, so much that his cheeks started to stain a deep red. He hated this feeling. 

A familiar sound made him snap out of his reprieve, jolting him to look up and across the courtyard. At the other end of it was a seperate building. The doors were wide open to let the evening breeze fill the area. Hinata could hear the sounds of shoes shuffling on polished waxed floors, of athletes jumping and the satisfying slap of skin against the ball. 

Instinctively, he walked over to it. From behind him, Suga yelled. “Hinata, come back here!”

Hinata shook off Suga’s first attempt to grab him and darted towards the door. He stood in the centre of it, amazed. He put his hand against his chest, heart soaring. 

This was not the practice gyms he had witnessed on the west wing. 

These were the official gyms used for tournaments. From the semi-rounded dome shape of the ceiling, Hinata suspected this was not the main court but simply an extension of it. 

Inside was ginormous. There were three courts that were beautifully maintained. Spectator seating was bowl-shaped and in long rows that crested nearly to the top of the glass-ceiling above them. Official tapestries, not like the ones Hinata saw in the halls, were hung proudly on the ceiling, gently flowing with the breeze of the night air. 

Standing inside, he felt so small compared to it all but there was an overwhelming thrumming that filled his ears as he stood beholding the sights and sounds. It wasn’t the official Royal team that was practicing currently, just a group of athletes that had begun a scrimmage game. 

“We should go,” Suga lifted a hand to his shoulder. “It’s getting late.”

“I want to be here,” Hinata vowed. “This is everything I have ever imagined and more. The feel of a volleyball hitting my hand, the weight of it. There’s nothing like it in the whole world.”

“Have you even played a game of volleyball?” Suga’s blunt question snapped Hinata out of his haze. His eyes settled on Suga, then downward. 

“Once, when I was young and before I became a pet.” Hinata had a life outside of the palace. Every pet does but when they turn of age they are chosen and expected to do their duty to the Crown. In Hinata’s case, he had to serve when his father passed and sooner than most. He was coming up to three years in the palace. 

“Right,” Suga tipped his head back. “You have family outside of the palace. I suppose out there you could play some rally’s.” 

Hinata ignored the sudden pit in his stomach, even standing in one of the most amazing and prized places in the entire country he couldn’t seem to shake that feeling of failure. 

He was aware that Suga was watching him, and could feel him assessing the current melancholy mood Hinata was in. It was not his usual mood. A chill had worked its way into Hinata’s jacket maybe due to the fact that they were standing outside. Maybe it was something else.

He turned away from the dazzling spectacle of volleyball players and walked a little more into the night of the courtyard, the moon had not yet crested over the mountains but it was dark enough to begin to see some of the brighter stars. There were very little clouds, winter had usually brought the most brilliantly clear skies the land could offer. 

“Do you know what it’s like to be a pet, Suga?” Hinata didn’t face him, he kept his eyes upwards and voice as steady. He didn't want pity from Suga, didn’t want to appear the slightest bit bothered. 

He sensed Suga’s attention, staring at him from lowered brows. “I won’t pretend I know what you’re going through but we all have to live in this court. We all have our own battles.”

His jaw tightened as he clamped his teeth and turned to Suga. He was right, Hinata knew he wasn’t the only one struggling to find a place here but the frustration within him burned.

“I had one goal when I came here - just one. I wanted to be on the court, regardless of status. I don’t care if you think that’s a dumb goal or that I might never get there but I intend to break through the wall.”

Suga stared at him, his face blank. Hinata tried to keep his composure, nostrils flared and jaw tight. He was expecting a reprimand. Once, Hinata had been slapped across the face for insolence. Another time, he was forced to bow with a boot to his face and Hinata had learned the hard way that back talking to any court member would not have a friendly outcome.

He winced when Suga reached out and placed a hand on his head. There was something in the way the gesture was supportive and gentle. If Hinata had ever received this before he couldn’t remember, at least not during his time at the palace. 

“You’re going to do just fine, Hinata. You may think I don’t believe in you but I do. I envy your will to keep at it and fight for what you want. So don’t stop, and I won’t stop either.”

Hinata blinked, at a loss for words. The swelling in his chest as Suga smiled down at him made him feel relieved. He was stupidly grateful for Suga’s words and didn’t know how much he needed to hear something like that from anyone. 

Suga dropped his arm, “now let’s get you back.”

^.^

When Hinata returned to the servant’s keep, Yamaguchi was waiting for him in their shared room. The room was small and had two single beds pushed on either side of the far walls. There was also a wooden night table in the middle of the beds that just nearly fit, on it was a single lantern that lit much of the room. Tadashi wanted to hear all about the new job and what shenanigans Hinata had been up to. 

“Y-you saw the Prince,” Yamaguchi paled. “What was he like?”

“Well, I didn’t talk to him. He seemed fine, kind of quiet.” Hinata thought back, he remembered becoming consumed by those striking blue eyes. There was something in them that seemed to show a man whose mind was highly engaged and a body wholly aloof. 

“Oh,” Hinata remembered. “I got to see the official courts too!”

Hinata rambled on to Yamaguchi about the courts, he skipped over the part about him and Suga. When Yamaguchi had run out of questions to ask (and the listening capacity to hear Hinata chatter) he forced a yawn and went back to his own bed. 

Once he had a moment alone, Hinata took out the stolen piece of twisted net-rope and stuffed them in a medium sized bag that he further hid under his bed. He gathered things to prepare for a bath and walked towards the shared bathing chambers. He and Yamaguchi had the furthest room from the chambers, which was one floor below them. Luckily, it was mostly empty tonight.

He went through the utilitarian task of bathing, pragmatically sloughing off the day's work and scrubbing the sticky soap through his orange hair and rinsing. Once done, he toweled off and glanced in the foggy mirror at his reflection. 

He had wrapped the towel around his waist and wiped at the fog so he could see himself more clearly. It was exactly what he thought, despite his overall healthy appearance; soft marigold eyes, slightly rounded face and lean body, he was still not anywhere near the look of a real athlete. He was small, scrawny and short. Hinata made up for his shortness with his high jumping, and his small build made him lethally fast but it still wasn’t enough.

The athletes he had watched in the gyms were tall, Hinata could even see the way their muscles flexed and became utilized when they made a play. Even Suga had slightly more muscle definition than Hinata and that was because he had access to exercise everyday by playing volleyball or any other sport he wanted. 

It made him think of the Prince, who also looked lean but Hinata knew that being spoiled meant he had access to the best trainers money could offer. If Hinata ever wanted to be an athlete or imagined any outrageous glory then he would have to exercise. A lot. And train so he could have an even greater chance at showing his skills when that opportunity came. 

^.^

The next morning, Hinata was bright eyed and waiting for Takeda to pick him up for his next shift. 

He was cheerful and his mood improved, a new day that would continue to feed his desires until he worked up the skill needed to get out of this miserable fate. 

Again, the three same pets were up before dawn, Suga had once again picked him up at the alcove as it seemed this was as far as pets were allowed. 

Suga didn’t say anything to him about their conversation last night, he was also radiating from a good mood and Hinata felt happy in his presence. They greeted Kiyoko and Hinata continued the day sorting through equipment and doing inventory.. 

This time there was no unexpected visit from the Crown Prince. Instead, it was a relaxed and normal day. The next couple were too. 

By the fifth day, Hinata had learned every hall, corridor and servant at the locations up to the courtyard and official gyms. He watched closely at the rotations, asking subtle questions to Takeda about shifts and tried to tuck all that information into the back of his mind. He had also been able to swipe more netting, two red training shirts he had seen some of the athletes wearing and some random trinkets such as pins. 

“You seem quieter than usual,” Suga noted as they began heading back at the end of the day. “You’re planning something, aren’t you?”

Hinata shrugged, “I don’t know what you could mean.”

He was, and it was going to be time to put all of his observations to use. The excitement of the coup weighed on him. Hinata could easily make it into the equipment room to get everything he needed.

The moment was here, he was going to finally feel what it was like to step foot into that big, beautiful gymnasium and play. 

“Yamaguchi,” Hinata stood over his friend's bed. “There’s something we have to do tonight.”

Yamaguchi stared up at him, “What do you mean? I don’t remember getting another task.”

“No, it’s not a task.” Hinata couldn’t hide the smile blooming on his face. He revealed the red training shirts he had swiped today. “We are going to be the first pets to play volleyball in the official gyms.”

At first, Yamaguchi appeared frightened. He glanced at the shirts, realizing what they were and swung his gaze back to Hinata. “You don’t seriously mean what I think you do.”

Hinata tossed the shirt down and walked to his bed, pulling out his bag. He had been collecting individually wrapped up pieces of the rope used for netting with the intention of taking it home during one of his days off. He almost had enough to make a practice-sized net now. 

Hinata removed the netting from the bag and placed a pair of his own sneakers inside. He reached behind himself and took off his shirt, donning the new athlete one instead. 

He glanced over his shoulder at Yamaguchi, who was giving him a look of shock. “There is only one rotation of staff in the north wing right now, and it’s late enough that we can walk through the servants corridors without passing anyone. Once through, no one will deny us.”

“Except our cuffs will be on display,” interrupted Yamaguchi. 

“We’ll wear our jackets until we’re inside the gym,” said Hinata. “No one will ask questions when they think two athletes are training.”

Yamaguchi waited for the rest of the plan but realized that was the plan. “This is not going to work.”

“That isn’t even the best part,” Hinata grinned. 

“There’s a ‘best part’?” Yamaguchi’s face became pinched, caught between a grimace and a frown. 

“Yes,” he nodded, carefully tucking the other materials he had obtained into the bag. “Once we’ve practiced and trained we’re going to take on a real athlete.”

Hinata could tell Yamaguchi was horrified by the idea but still willing. He knew this was the right thing to do because they had nothing to lose and everything to gain - there was no longer anything left to fear.

Yamaguchi picked up the shirt, giving it an odd look before he said. “Why can’t you just ask me for a normal favor once in a while?”

It was not a straight out ‘no’ he had expected from Yamaguchi and Hinata smiled. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Yamaguchi quickly changed, Hinata slung the bag of their shoes over his shoulder and together they took off into the corridor. Hinata ran, surprised to find Yamaguchi running with him at a slower pace. Once they made it into the west wing, they followed Hinata’s lead to the north wing. 

Hinata glanced at Yamaguchi when they passed the trophy case, feeling a ping of happiness when he saw his friends' face light up. They undid their jackets just enough to showcase their red shirts that had the words ‘athlete’ printed on them. It was enough to hide their cuffs for now until they got to the gym. Once there, he was hoping it would be impossible for someone to see the cuffs if they weren’t up close. 

So far, everything had gone according to plan. They hadn’t bumped into any night staff yet but they were approaching the north wing courtyard and it was possible athletes could be up and roaming. 

“Do not avert your eyes,” Hinata warned Yamaguchi. They had to blend in, had to emit the same confidence other athletes had. 

It took a delicious moment for them to cross the courtyard and stand in front of the doors to the gyms. He turned to Yamaguchi, “wait here, I have to grab something.”

“H-Hinata!”

He turned quickly and didn’t respond to his friend as he ran in the opposite direction, towards the storage doors. He wasn’t surprised to find them locked. 

Hinata dug into his bag, pulling out various pins he had found while cleaning. He bent to the lock and worked on it swiftly, listening carefully for the final piece to gently click into place and the door groaned. He opened it effortlessly then found a beautiful yellow, green and white volleyball that he stashed into his bag. Hinata closed the self-locking door tightly on his way out. 

Yamaguchi was still standing frigidity in front of the doors, looking out of place. His eyes lit up when he saw Hinata. “Do not do that again! What if someone came by!”

“I had to grab something,” Hinata said and tried to open the door - it was locked. 

He clicked his tongue as Yamaguchi said. “Yeah, I could have told you that. Now what are we going to do?”

“Just give me a minute.”

Hinata bent to work at the lock but his pin was not long enough, this lock was bigger than the other one had been. He kept trying before he noticed the locks were not regular ones like on a door. These were bolted from the top and the bottom, a locking mechanism in the middle controlled the bolt positions. 

_No, no, no_. He did not come this far to be shut out. 

Hinata swore under his breath, standing up and looking around the building. The windows were too high with no access to scale them from the ground. There were other doors but they likely had the same kind of bolt locks. 

He looked around the courtyard before they heard distant voices coming from the main corridor. 

“Hide!’ Hinata snapped, running to a pillar and narrowly hiding behind it. Yamaguchi was right behind him. 

He could hear the sound of two voices talking quietly. Hinata hoped whoever they were, it would lead them to accessing the gym and this could be their chance. 

“-told my trainer it was ridiculous luck I hadn’t managed to break or tear a tendon with that move.” 

“I think you give yourself too much credit, it wasn’t that badass or anything,” he heard Suga say and it was suddenly clear to Hinata that this conversation was not going to lead them into the gym as he had hoped.“Noya looked like he was doing twice the amount of digs you were.”

The man with him laughed, it sounded intimate. “Well that’s the last time I’ll let you beat me in practice. Maybe I won’t let you practice at all.”

Suga made a feigned sound of shock and his companion said. “That can’t be the worst thing you’ve heard.”

“By far the worst.”

It was said in the same saturated and deep honeyed voice Hinata hadn’t heard before from Suga. There was a breath of amusement from his companion. 

Hinata stepped forward determinedly.

They were standing close together, not quite intimately but close enough. Upon hearing Hinata steps on the stone, the man with Suga startled and turned to look back at him. He was big and tall with cropped short brown hair. He wasn’t excessively handsome however the ruggedness of his face and clear brown eyes was enticing. 

The man was dressed in the official team practice uniform Hinata had seen that day he peeked into the gym: white shirt and black shorts. The crest of House Kurasano was embroidered into the center of the shirt. 

“Uh, hello?” The man sounded polite and suspicious. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

Hinata didn’t know why he acted on pure impulse like that. He swung his gaze to Suga who recognized the burnish-orange hair and stolen shirt. He looked genuinely horrified. 

A cold sweat broke out across Hinata’s skin. He didn’t know what to say, a high court athlete, and a starter for the team, was standing in front of him and he felt frozen. He didn’t know what he planned to do and had to think of something fast. 

“Ah!” Hinata said, “We’ve been looking for you everywhere, Suga. You said you would hit a few with us, remember?”

Suga, to his credit, did not look like he was about to throw up like Hinata had. “I-I did?”

“Mhm.”

Suga’s companion turned to him now, “You didn’t tell me you were going to oversee a practice. I would have offered to come with you sooner.”

“Sorry, Daichi I forgot.” Suga scratched the back of his head. “This is Hinata.”

Hinata managed a small, stiff nod. Daichi’s eyes shifted behind him. “Is that another friend of yours?”

All eyes turned to Yamaguchi who had briefly stepped out from behind the pillar. He was white as a ghost, nervously shaking and averting his eyes. 

Hinata signaled with his hands, away from Daichi and Suga’s view, for Yamaguchi to say something. 

“T-Tadashi Yamaguchi.” He bowed at the waist. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir!”

“Oh don’t call me sir,” Daichi said and Hinata could tell he genuinely meant it. “Alright, we can hit a few back and forth for a bit. Let's see what you got.”

“Yes!” Hinata spun around, enthusiastically. He realized he was too enthusiastic, “I mean, uh, if you want to then yeah - cool.”

Daichi laughed, “you’re a funny one. Kind of on the short side too, are you sure you can play volleyball?”

This was the common question, the first thing people noticed about Hinata despite his fiery hair was his short stature. 

Hinata looked up at him, “Let’s play and you’ll find out.”

Daichi reached inside his bag and produced a key that fit snugly into the large doors. He looked at Suga, “I’m surprised you wanted to come to the official gym when it wasn’t your week to observe any practices.”

“Yeah, we didn’t plan it very well.”

Hinata had not quite understood what they were talking about, all he knew was the excitement of being back inside that beautiful gymnasium was swelling on his chest again. He had to keep his cool - reminding himself that he belonged here. 

They walked inside and Daichi flicked on the lights. It took a moment for them to power on and Hinata tried to keep his jaw from hanging open. His moment of standing in the gym didn’t last long before he felt the collar of his shirt being yanked backwards. 

Suga roughly pulled him out of the doorway and outside around the corner. He hissed under his breath, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Hinata looked up at him, “I’m going to play volleyball.”

“Oh, don’t give me that.” Suga hurriedly dug in his bag. “The moment Daichi see’s your cuffs he’ll send you straight back to where you came from. Here.”

Suga shoved two small pieces of fabric into his hand. Hinata looked at it and realized it was a sports wristband. Suga gave him a second set. “Give this one to Yamaguchi too. It should help with the pain.”

From inside, Daichi said. “Hey, are you two joining or what?”

“Yep,” Suga called back. He stood straight up and went immediately inside. Hinata placed the wrist band over his cuff and followed. He poked Yamaguchi in the side, showing him his wrist band and shoving the second set he had into his hand. 

Fumbling for a moment, Yamaguchi put it on. 

Hinata shook off his jacket, the excitement radiating off him in waves. Daichi had wandered to another door near the stands and produced a second key that he used to open it. Inside was a small onsite equipment room and he pulled out a cart of inflated volleyballs. 

He pushed the cart to them, they had chosen the furthest court that was closest to the door. They did a few quick warm-ups and then decided they would play a friendly match of two-on-two. 

Daichi went to the other side of the massive net, Yamaguchi went with him. 

“Please tell me you know what you’re doing,” Suga positioned himself into a low stance. Daichi was sending over a serve.

Hinata knew his receive needed work but if Daichi was going to send a friendly serve then he would be fine. “What position do you play, Suga?”

His answer sounded wary, “I’m a setter.”

Hinata grinned, “Then just set the ball for me and I will take care of the rest.”

From across the court, Daichi raised his hand. “Service!”

He tossed the ball into the air and hit it with precision - it was a soft lob just as Hinata imagined. 

“Mine!” Hinata swung his arms to get under the ball but it was sloppy and ricochet off to the opposite side Suga was on. He watched it in disappointment, his wrist suddenly stinging from the impact on the cuffs. “Sorry, I missed that.”

“Shake it off,” Suga said helpfully. “Try again.”

This time, Daichi sent the ball towards Suga, who received it perfectly. Hinata tried to get under it, opening his palms for a set. His sets weren’t awful, they weren’t perfect either. He gently tossed it in the air, it was low and too far back from the net. 

“Damn, sorry!”

“I got it!” Suga had made it in time, also preferring a set to get it across the net and onto the other side. Daichi received it and Tadashi stumbled to where the ball was hanging high in the air. 

Hinata grew excited that he was about to watch Daichi possibly try and spike it however it surprised him when that didn’t happen. He was even more surprised that (after scrambling) Yamaguchi tossed the ball up nicely enough that Daichi could gently underhand it back to their side. 

Hinata readied himself for the receive and once again messed it up. He grew frustrated that they played like amateurs even when the ball was moving slow. 

He looked sadly back at Suga, then to Daichi when he high-fived a timid Yamaguchi. 

Suga reassured him, “It’s okay. The cuffs must make it hard for you to receive. Instead of swinging with your arms, try to get low and under the ball with your legs. Even if it hits against your forearm you’ll have more control over where you want it to go.”

“Sure.”

They set up again and received Daichi’s serve, this time it was heading straight for Hinata. He remembered what Suga had said about getting under the ball and not swinging with his arms. 

The ball hit his arms in a high spot, just above his elbows, but at least it was in the air and Suga was heading towards it. “Hinata, here!”

_This was it - this was his chance!_

He sprinted towards the net in the direction of the ball before leaping upwards. 

I am going to hit this. _I am going to hit this_.

Hinata felt pumped. It had been so long since he jumped freely like this and he could almost feel the shocked reactions of everyone around him as they watched him fly into the air. 

He swung his arm back, preparing for the strike. He had been watching the ball the entire time and in a fraction of a second, when he went to spike, it was no longer in front of him. 

The ball hit the ground before he did and he looked back at it with an empty stare. How could he miss that? 

Daichi clapped, “wow little man, you have quite the jump there! Shame about the missed spike, I thought you would have had it.”

Yamaguchi was at the net, closest to Hinata. “I never knew you could jump like that.”

Hinata looked longingly at his hand, feeling discouraged by his failure. “I guess I’m not as good as I thought.”

Suga came over and hit his back lightly and supportively. “You’ll get the next one. Setting and spiking are hard when there’s no relationship formed. It will take a few tries.”

For some reason, Hinata had highly doubted that but nodded anyway. “Right.”

It wasn’t that Suga’s set was hard to reach, it was that the set was not his set. It didn’t feel like it was meant for him and he had no idea why. 

It was crazy, wasn’t it?

They continued the game. Yamaguchi and Hinata made amateur mistakes all over the court. Meanwhile, Hinata, for the life of him, could not get his hands on that set no matter how hard he tried. 

After ten straight service aces, Daichi called it quits. 

“I think we’re all a little tired.”

Suga silently agreed, “come on you two, let’s get everything back to how it was.”

Hinata sullenly agreed and helped the older athletes put the equipment away. His wrist was swollen and painful now from only a few receives however it didn’t hurt more than his pride had. 

He thought he could do this and it seemed he needed more practice. 

They packed up quietly, Daichi made light conversation about the game, he was polite and didn’t say anything about how horribly Yamaguchi or Hinata played. 

“So we can come back here tomorrow night?” Hinata asked, eagerly. 

“If I can I will,” Daichi answered and directed his next response to Suga. “I think you should help though. They have a lot of potential.”

Suga glanced over to Hinata, his face was unreadable. “Sure, meet me at the training gym in the west wing tomorrow evening.”

“Maybe if we did it earlier we would have more energy,” Daichi suggested. “They could join the other athletes while we’re holding those practices for -”

“N-no, we can’t.” Hinata interrupted Daichi and tried to think of a reasonable excuse. He came up blank. “Uh-we...uh...work late shifts.”

Daichi seemed surprised at this new information, and seemed to consider it deeply before he shrugged. “Suit yourself, I’ll try and swing by if I can.”

They all nodded and walked into the courtyard as Daichi locked up. 

Suga pulled Hinata aside and said in a low voice. “We’ll practice. For now, just try and keep your chin up.”

“I’m sorry,” Hinata squeezed his hand into a fist, his wrists were burning. “I made you lie to Daichi and thought that I was better than this. I’m really sorry.”

Suga frowned and looked over at Daichi. “It’ll be alright, I think he’ll understand. Besides, you have something special.”

Hinata disagreed, “there’s nothing special about failing.”

“No, but there’s something about you,” said Suga. “I can help you become a better player.”

"You're only saying that because Daichi told you to help me."

"No, I really mean it." Suga was looking directly at Hinata with a strange determination in his grey eyes. "I would have done this anyway after seeing what you pulled off in there."

This response surprised Hinata. “You mean… you’re really going to help me play volleyball?”

Suga nodded, “I will help you in whatever way I can but I do have one condition.”

His chest tightened. 

Regardless of the condition, this could lead to his dreams coming true after all. With proper training he could challenge any athlete and maybe even the Prince himself. Then he could bargain for a position in court, could use his assets as a smaller player for leverage to be part of the team.

“I’m listening,” Hinata added, “And it has to be within reason.” 

This made Suga laugh. “Of course!” 

Suga leaned in closer, placing a hand on Hinata’s shoulder. “I need you to shine bright out there because from here on out there will be nothing but hard work. That is my condition, do you think you can handle that?”

Hinata faced Suga. 

He realized two things in that moment: one was that Suga was completely serious about this. The second was even more surprising, Suga had meant for Hinata to break that wall separating which the classes. 

“Why do you need me to do it?” Hinata questioned. "Why do you need me to break the wall if you're part of the court? You have more power than I ever could."

Suga straightened and his eyes lingered on the more interesting figure behind Hinata. “There are some things that I can’t do on my own.”

He should have felt more uncomfortable with the thought of Suga using him for his own purposes but he didn’t. Suga wanted the same thing he had in the end: he wanted freedom and power over his own fate. 

There was one thing he did need, one selfish request he had to make sure he asked for. 

“I have my own condition,” said Hinata. “When I am ready I want an audience to prove my skills are that of an athlete and I want the cuffs to be removed.”

His wrists had chafed against the cuffs so badly that they made his eyes water. He wouldn’t be able to play real volleyball if he kept them on. 

Suga frowned and it seemed like whatever Hinata had requested was troubling him. “Only when I say you are ready. So no more impulsive decision making like this. We work together or not at all, got it?”

Hinata thought about the offer, made his decision and stuck out his hand. “Fine.”

“Alright then we have a deal.” Suga firmly clasped their hands together and broke apart when Daichi and Yamaguchi approached from behind them. 

It had been a long time since Hinata had felt one step closer to his goal. 

“Let’s do this.”

^.^


End file.
